A Firefly Among Dragons
by meghanjh
Summary: Hotaru Tomoe thought signing up to be a sports medicine volunteer for the Kanto Tournament would be a good idea. However, nothing could prepare her for being assigned to work with the Shinryuji Nagas. Will she be able to avoid Agon's advances? And, more importantly, how will the Nagas react to her?
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: I hope y'all enjoy this story! This is the first fanfiction I have written in about four years so I would really appreciate feedback. The final pairing for Hotaru will be revealed as the story progresses.

**Chapter 1: An opportunity?**

Hotaru Tomoe frowned as she stared at the volunteer board Juuban High School had set up. "Why can't there be a hospital or clinic looking for volunteers?" Hotaru sighed as she shook her head. She wanted to get some experience in nursing before she finished high school, but with Juuban limiting where students could volunteer that seemed impossible.

"Having problems finding a place to volunteer, Taru-chan?" Two voices asked at the same time. With a small smile, Hotaru turned to see her friends Chibiusa and Suzuna Taki.

"No hospitals or clinics were approved by the principal. Not even Ami-chan's." Hotaru explained.

"Eh! That sucks!" Suzuna exclaimed, "He even said me cheerleading for the Devilbats could count as my volunteer hours, but that is probably because he is a football freak. Maybe you could join the cheer squad!"

Hotaru laughed and shook her head, "Thank you, Suzu-chan, but I don't think I would be very good at cheerleading."

"What about this then?" Chibiusa asked as she pulled a flyer off of the top row on the board, "It says here that they're looking for people to work with the sports medicine teams for the Kanto Tournament." Hotaru's and Suzuna's eyes widened as they crowded around Chibiusa to stare at the paper. "Look it says that volunteers will be allowed to list the three teams they would most like to work with!"

"And you would be able to put Deimon as one of your choices!" Suzuna exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Hotaru and bounced up and down.

"It could be a good way to gain experience." Hotaru smiled as she took the flyer from Chibiusa.

"Let me know if you decide to sign up for it!" Suzuna said as she checked her watch, "I gotta go to practice! I'll see you two tomorrow!"

"See ya!" Chibiusa replied as Suzuna ran off while Hotaru stared at the flyer, "You know you don't have to do it if you don't want to. I'm sure we could figure out another volunteer opportunity for you."

"It's fine." Hotaru said before folding up the flyer and placing it in her school bag. "We should probably head home; if I'm too late Haruka-papa would get worried."

"Ah…that's true. Too bad Helios-kun wasn't at school today. I missed him." Chibiusa sighed.

"I am glad that you two are finally dating." Hotaru said, "Do you want to stop by his apartment to check on him?"

"But I can't leave you to walk home alone!" Chibiusa protested as she slung her bag over her shoulder, "I can call him later to check on him. Besides, I need to help you look for a man of your own."

"Usa-chan!" Hotaru exclaimed with a blush.

"I'm kidding." Chibiusa said as she patted Hotaru on her back. Hotaru nodded in response as her blush faded. The two girls walked along the sidewalk joking and teasing until they reached Chibiusa's house. Hotaru quickly said goodbye to her friend before continuing on the path to her home. Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama had bought this home so that they would both be closer to their work and to Hotaru's choice high school.

"I'm home." Hotaru greeted as she entered the house.

"Welcome home." Hotaru heard Michiru respond from the kitchen, "Do you want a snack?"

"No thank you, Michiru-mama." Hotaru replied as she began to head up the stairs to her room, "I have some homework to finish right quick."

"Okay. I'll make sure Haruka doesn't bother you." Michiru replied as she stuck her head out of the kitchen entrance.

"Thank you." Hotaru said before dashing up the stairs to her room. She sat down at her desk and turned on her computer before pulling out the flyer.

_Volunteers needed for Kanto Tournament!_

_Are you interested in studying sports medicine or nursing? Do you want to gain experience outside of volunteering at a hospital? Here is an opportunity for you! You will be assigned to work with one team for the months leading up to the tournament and for the duration of the tournament. Volunteers will be expected to attend all practices, scrimmages, and games. If your team is eliminated from the tournament, you will be assigned to another team. Go online to and fill out the volunteer form! _

"Okay." Hotaru said with determination, "I'll do it. What is the worst that could happen?" She loaded the website and quickly found the volunteer link. The form was simple and easy to fill out, it only asked for basic information. However, when Hotaru reached the final portion of the volunteer form she was stumped. "I know Suzuna-chan wants me to work with Deimon, but who should I put as my other choices?" Hotaru wondered out loud as she looked at the eight options, "I don't know anything about their teams, and Suzuna-chan is at practice so I can't ask her."

She leaned back and stretched as she thought over the options. _Ojo is a good school, but it is so far away. Shinryuji is not far from here. I'll just mark those two; I am more likely to get Deimon anyway. _She marked those two options and submitted the volunteer form with a few quick clicks. _I wonder how long it will be until I find out where I got assigned. I really hope I got Deimon, it would be fun to work with Suzuna-chan and I would finally get to meet this Sena-kun she is always talking about. _

Logging out of her laptop, Hotaru set to work on finishing her homework until she heard Michiru greet Haruka. Closing her textbook, Hotaru jumped up and ran downstairs to tell her adoptive parents about what she had just signed up for.

-End Chapter-


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Can I survive this?

-At Shinryuji Academy-

Sumito Sendoda stroked his beard as he looked at the list of students who had volunteered to work for the Kanto Tournament. The organization in charge of the volunteers had sent him the information of all of the volunteers who had expressed interest in working with his team. He had eliminated all of the volunteers that he recognized from Agon's "escapades" leaving him with only a few volunteers to choose from. He studied the application that a Juuban High School student had submitted along with the information sent to him by the student's principal. _She is a good student, and she does have some experience with volunteering in regards to medicine. It could do certain members of the team good to spend some time with a female student. _

-At Suzuna Taki's house-

Hotaru sighed as Suzuna yelled at her brother again for being too loud. She and Chibiusa had gone over to Suzuna's to try to study for an upcoming English test, but Suzuna's brother and father were busy playing guitar and attempting to sing at full volume.

"At least it is never boring here." Chibiusa laughed. Hotaru stretched before grabbing her backpack and pulling out a Japanese-to-English dictionary. Her eyes widened as she saw the screen on her phone lighting up. As she pulled the phone out, she froze as she realized the caller id was for a number that she did not recognize.

"Hello?" Hotaru greeted as she answered the phone call.

"Is this Tomoe Hotaru-san?" A female voice on the other end of the line asked.

"Yes ma'am." Hotaru responded.

"This is Nanari Aimi. I have called to inform you that you have been selected to be the sports medicine volunteer for Shinryuji Academy for the Kanto Tournament! Now there will be a mandatory training for all volunteers tomorrow from 8:00 am until noon, and Sendoda-sensei wanted me to ask if you would be able to meet the team right after the training."

"I-I would be happy to." Hotaru replied with her voice shaking. _That all-boys school? Haruka-papa will not be happy about this._ "What time would he like me to be at the school?"

"He said practice starts at 1:00 and will go until around 4 pm since they are having a practice game, so you'll be able to get to their practice on time." Aimi explained, "Well I better let you go! See you tomorrow Hotaru-chan, I hope you get excited about this!"

"Y-yes ma'am." Hotaru replied before Aimi ended the call. Hotaru stared at her phone before shutting it and putting it back in her bag.

"What was that about?" Chibiusa asked as Suzuna walked into the room.

"And stay quiet!" Suzuna shouted as she slammed her bedroom door shut. She let out a noise of frustration as she sat down.

"Ah. It was the woman in charge of the sports medicine volunteers." Hotaru began, "She was calling to let me know about the training tomorrow and which team I was assigned to."

"Did you get Deimon?" Suzuna asked.

"N-no. I was assigned to Shinryuji." Hotaru explained.

"What?!" Suzuna exclaimed, "Why?"

"I don't know," Hotaru began, "But I do know Haruka-papa isn't going to be happy with this."

"That's an understatement." Chibiusa said as her red eyes widened and her face paled, "Those poor boys."

"Should I call Haruka-papa and tell her?" Hotaru asked as she got her phone out again.

"Put it on speaker." Suzuna suggested as Hotaru pressed the speed dial button for Haruka. Hotaru nodded as she turned on the speaker phone and waited for Haruka to answer.

"Hey Taru-chan!" Haruka answered happily, "How is studying going with Chibiusa-chan and Suzuna-chan?"

"It is going well, Haruka-papa." Hotaru replied before taking a deep breath, "I-I wanted to let you know that I got a call from the volunteer organization."

"Ah! Did you get assigned to Deimon? I hope you did, Suzuna would be able to keep any perverts away from you." Haruka said.

"N-no. I was assigned to Shinryuji." Hotaru answered. The three teenage girls blinked as Haruka went silent for several seconds. "H-Haruka-papa?"

"WHAT!" Haruka shouted, "They're going to have you working with a football team for an all-boys school? Do they know what kind of perverts schools like that breed?"

"She'll be fine!" Suzuna said loudly, hoping that Haruka was able to hear her, "They'll be too busy freaking out about the fact that a girl is in their presence to even lay a hand on her. Plus it's a Buddhist school; they're all pretty much monks anyway!"

The girls stared at the phone as they heard Haruka making a sound of frustration. "When do you meet the team?" Haruka asked.

"Tomorrow at one; I have a training I have to attend beforehand though." Hotaru explained.

"Fine." Haruka said in a sharp tone, "I am going with you when you meet the team. I'll let those wannabe monks know that my daughter is off limits. Understand, Taru-chan?"

"I understand, Haruka-papa." Hotaru replied with a small smile.

"I'll ask Michiru to make buckwheat noodles to celebrate this." Haruka said, "How does that sound?"

"It sounds wonderful, Haruka-papa." Hotaru replied.

"Well I'll pick you up in about an hour. Don't have too much fun studying." Haruka said, "Love you, Hotaru."

"I love you too, Haruka-papa." Hotaru said in response before the girls heard the definite click of Haruka hanging up. All three girls released a breath at the same time before collapsing backwards onto the floor.

"That was terrifying." Chibiusa said before she began to laugh.

"Not as terrifying as it's gonna be for those Shinryuji boys tomorrow." Suzuna pointed out and all three girls burst out into laughter.

/The next day/

Hotaru sorted through the items in the medical kit that she had been provided by the volunteer organization. Nanari Aimi sat next to her explaining each individual component of the kit and how it could be used to treat sports injuries. The twenty-five year old sports medicine had her black hair in a pixie cut that showed off her large brown eyes.

"Now wrapping is extremely important in sports medicine. It serves two purposes, to help prevent injuries and to help lessen the impact of current or past injuries." Aimi explained, "But most players should know how to do the basic wraps around their ankles, wrists, and other joints. You'll mostly only have to help with wrapping if they get injured."

"And this book has all of the wrapping techniques right?" Hotaru asked as she found a book in the kit.

"Yep!" Aimi said happily, "Now there will be professional athletic trainers at all of the games to help out so you shouldn't have to worry much. You will probably do most of your wrapping at practice. Besides, I am sure you'll find someone at Shinryuji willing to let you practice on him."

"Aimi-sensei!" Hotaru exclaimed as a blush covered her face before repacking the kit, "That wouldn't be appropriate. I am there to help the team, not to get a boyfriend."

"You can do both at the same time." Aimi said while winking, "Well it looks like everything is in order. Just make sure that you have my number in your phone. I will be acting as your direct contact if you have any questions."

"Thank you Aimi-sensei." Hotaru replied.

"Well, you should probably head over to Shinryuji to meet the team!" Aimi said, "I'll call you later to check on you!"

"Good-bye." Hotaru said as she closed the kit and carried it out of the center.

"I'll take that." Haruka said as she took the kit out of Hotaru's hands and loaded it into the trunk of her Ferrari.

"Thank you, Haruka-papa." Hotaru said before hugging Haruka. A smile broke across Haruka's face as she hugged Hotaru back.

"Let's get you over to Shinryuji so I can put the fear of God in those boys." Haruka said with an evil glint in her eyes. Hotaru simply shook her head before getting in the passenger seat. Hotaru remained silent for the short ride to Shinryuji Academy as Haruka plotted the best way to ensure that the members of the team did not approach Hotaru.

/

Unsui set his bag down on the bench before he pulled his practice jersey over his head. Practice wasn't due to start for another fifteen minutes, but most of the team had already arrived except for his younger twin. He would be happy if Agon arrived to practice only ten minutes late; however, most of the team had changed into their practice uniforms or were in the process of changing. Ikkyu's bag was already sitting by the bench and he had begun his usual warm up stretches.

"Unsui-san!" Ikkyu shouted as he pointed seemingly randomly in front of him. Unsui stared at Ikkyu like he had grown a second head before looking in the direction that Ikkyu was pointing. On the edge of the practice field stood a man dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white shirt. The man had short blonde hair and his eyes were covered in dark sunglasses. But it was clear that it wasn't the man that Ikkyu was responding to, it was the person standing next to him. To the right of the man stood a young woman, probably no older than Ikkyu, with shoulder length black hair. She was dressed in a cream colored sweater, a dark red skirt, and held a large white box in her hands. Unsui could tell that she said something to the man before both of them began walking towards the field.

"Ah." Sendoda observed, "She is here."

"Sendoda-sensei?" The young woman asked when she reached the bench.

"I take it that you are Tomoe Hotaru-san correctly?" Sendoda asked.

"Yes sir." Hotaru replied as she bowed, "It is an honor to meet you Sendoda-sensei. I-I hope you don't mind but my father asked if he could come along to this first meeting."

"That is no problem." Sendoda said before he motioned his hand towards the bench, "You may set your kit under the bench if you wish. I will have you introduce yourself at the beginning of practice."

"Thank you." Hotaru said again before setting her medical kit under the bench and sitting down beside Sendoda. For once she knew the flush on her cheeks was due to physical exertion rather than embarrassment.

"It's a girl." Ikkyu whispered as Unsui went to join him in warm up exercises.

"I can tell." Unsui said. _But what is she doing here?_

"She's cute but the person that came with her has a scary aura." Ikkyu pointed out and Unsui turned his head to look at the young woman again. He was surprised to see that none of the team had approached her yet, but the aura coming off of her male companion explained why. He had removed his sunglasses and was glaring at any team member that got within ten feet of the young woman. However, the glares did not deter the young men from staring. Unsui paused in his stretches as he saw Sendoda motioning him over. As he walked over to the bench, he noticed Sendoda talking to the young woman and her standing up to greet him.

"Hello. I am Tomoe Hotaru; I will be working with your team while you compete in the Kanto Tournament." She greeted while she bowed to Unsui before straightening. Unsui froze as he saw the nervousness in her large violet eyes.

"I am Kongo Unsui," Unsui replied, "However, I should let you know that I have a younger twin brother who is also on the team so you shouldn't be afraid to call me by my first name."

"Don't get too friendly, punk." The mystery man said as he grabbed Unsui's shoulder, "I'mTenou Haruka and you better make sure that you and your teammates keep your hands off of my daughter."

"Have the team line up so Tomoe-san can introduce herself to the whole team." Sendoda ordered as Haruka released Unsui's shoulder. Unsui nodded before shouting at the team to line up; after everyone had lined up, he went to stand beside Yamabushi.

"Before practice begins, I would like to introduce Tomoe Hotaru. She will be working with the team as a sports medicine volunteer. She will be coming to all practices and games." Sendoda explained to the team.

"I-I look forward to working with you." Hotaru said to the team with a slight blush on her cheeks, "I hope that you will let me support you all."

"Of course!" Several members of the team exclaimed suddenly causing Hotaru to jump. However, when she recovered from the shock, a smile broke across her face and a gentle laugh escaped her lips.

"You may sit down now Tomoe-san," Sendoda said quietly before turning his attention to the team and splitting them up according to their position. He began to have them run through basic exercises as Hotaru and Haruka watched.

"I'm gonna go ahead and head home." Haruka whispered into Hotaru's ear as she patted her on the back, "Call when the practice ends and I'll come and pick you up."

"Good-bye Haruka-papa." Hotaru replied. Haruka sent one last glare at the players before heading down the stairs that led to the campus. As she headed down the stairs she passed a student dressed in the school uniform with long dreads. Haruka paused to watch the student as he continued walking up the stairs.

-End Chapter-

Author's note: The length of this chapter is kind of to make up for the short first chapter. I hope y'all are enjoying the story so far! The next chapter will have more interaction between Hotaru and the members of the team (especially Agon).

Responses to reviews:

**A fan:** Thanks for the review! I hope that you enjoyed this longer chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Authors note: I just watched some of the Eyeshield 21 anime and have determined that the few episodes I watched (episodes 106-111) are definitely gonna effect my writing of this fanfiction because it gave me a few more scenarios that I can use in this fanfiction. But dear god the animation was so bad.

And a special thanks goes out to Funnuraba from tumblr for her awesome posts that has a ton of information on all of the Nagas.

**Chapter 3: First Practice**

_Che. I can't believe they still expect me to come to these stupid practices. _Agon thought after he finished climbing the stairs that led to Shinryuji Academy's campus. As he approached the practice field he saw an unfamiliar sight. "Well, well. That is a welcoming sight." Agon said as he spotted Hotaru. She was sitting on the bench reading a small book and taking notes on a notebook to her left.

"Hi." Agon greeted as he set his bag down on the bench and sat by Hotaru before taking off his sunglasses. Hotaru jumped slightly before staring at Agon. "I'm Agon." He said as he extended his hand towards her.

"I am Tomoe Hotaru." Hotaru replied as she shook his hand, "Are you part of the team?"

_Did she really just ask me that?_ Agon thought before answering, "Che. I'm the reason this team is going to win."

"S-sorry." Hotaru replied before holding up the book she had been reading so that Agon could see the cover which said _The Basics of American Football_ "I don't know much about American football. Anezaki-san lent this to me though so I can understand the game. I am also trying to learn about what types of injuries are most common."

"Kukuku." Agon laughed as he saw a slight blush spread on her cheeks, "So if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"

"A-ah. I signed up to be a sport medicine volunteer for the Kanto Tournament." Hotaru explained, "And I was assigned to work with this team."

"Ku. I guess we're lucky to get such a cute volunteer." Agon said as he leaned towards Hotaru. _Now that's a nice response_ Agon thought as Hotaru's face turned a bright red. "So…what made you want to want to volunteer for this?"

"My school is requiring that all students get volunteer hours." Hotaru replied as she played with the bottom of her skirt and looked down at the ground, "I-I want to become a nurse."

Agon looked over her body as he imagined her in a white nurse outfit. _That is a nice mental image_. "If you need to practice just let me know, Hotaru-chan." Hotaru felt her body tense as she continued to look away from Agon and began to lean slightly away from him.

"Agon! Get your ass out here and practice!" Unsui shouted at his brother from the field as the team broke off into two separate groups for a practice game.

"Che." Agon said before standing up and pulling his sunglasses back on, "I don't have time for this. See you later, Hotaru-chan."

"h-huh?" Hotaru stammered in confusion as she watched Agon leave, "But why is he leaving?"

"He does not need to practice." Sendoda said plainly, "He is a rare genius." Hotaru frowned as she turned her attention from Agon to Unsui. Unsui stood on the field with his helmet in his hands before he turned towards the team.

Unsui sighed as he watched Agon walk off and Hotaru straightened._ Nothing ever changes, at least that got him away from Tomoe-san. _"After we run through the defensive plays we'll take a short break and then we'll split into position specific practice."

Hotaru glanced around nervously as Sendoda stood and went to stand by the edge of the field to coach the players. "I wish I understood more of what they were doing." Hotaru said out loud as she looked from the book in her hands to the team.

"You confused?" A bald effeminate player asked as he sat on the bench next to Hotaru. The few offense only players had split off and most had gone to get a drink.

"Yes." Hotaru admitted.

"Well! Don't worry sweetie! Sanzo will try to explain everything to you!" Sanzo said happily as he moved closer to Hotaru. "Now right now the defensive players are going through some basic plays. Now when the team is playing defense you have your tackles, ends, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties. For example Hakkai-chan and Gojyo-chan are both tackles. They're supposed to stop running plays and rush the passer."

"Ah." Hotaru said as she nodded her head and took notes before pointing at Ikkyu, "And why is he running backwards?"

"All cornerbacks need to be able to run backwards. They're supposed to cover the receivers." Sanzo explained, "Ikkyu-kun is really good at running backwards. He can run 50 meters in 4.9 seconds backwards. Miroku-kun is also a cornerback, but he isn't as good as Ikkyu-kun."

"That's amazing." Hotaru said as she looked from Sanzo to the field. A small smile crossed her face as she watched the team. "Um…what position does Kongo-san play?"

"Which one?" Sanzo asked.

"Both."

"Well Unsui-kun plays quarterback and Agon-kun can play pretty much everything, but he typically plays wide receiver." Sanzo explained, "Unsui-kun usually leads the team, but when Agon-kun is here we all follow what he says."

"What else does the quarterback do?" Hotaru asked as she held her notebook in her lap, ready to take more notes. With a smile, he began to rapidly explain all of the different things that a quarterback did before explaining the offensive positions as well. When he finished, Sanzo spotted a stray football on the edge of the practice field.

"Want me to show you how to throw a pass?" Sanzo suggested.

"Yes!" Hotaru said with a smile as she put her notebook away and Sanzo ran and grabbed the football.

Unsui watched from the corner of his eye as Sanzo showed Hotaru the proper throwing stance and demonstrate the arm movements necessary for making a pass. He flinched as she tried to throw the football but it flipped over and over in the air and barely went five feet. "Everyone take a break." Sendoda ordered. As the players made their way to get something to drink. Unsui made his way over to Hotaru who was getting ready to attempt another pass to Sanzo.

"Here, move your hand back a little bit." Unsui instructed as he gently moved her fingers back. He covered her hand with his as he placed his other hand on her hip. "You need to move your fee a little bit further apart and when you throw the keep your eye on your target at all times." A blush spread across Hotaru's face as Unsui guided her arm and torso through the basic throwing motion. _She's so small_ Unsui thought as the fact that the top of her head barely reached his shoulders.

"Make sure that your torso turns a full 90 degrees when throwing." Unsui continued before he took his hands away from her, "Now try." Hotaru nodded before taking the throwing position again and aiming it towards Sanzo who was only about twenty feet away from her. Using Unsui's tips, she passed it at Sanzo a smile broke across her face as it spiraled through the air and Sanzo caught it.

"I did it!" Hotaru said happily as she turned to smile at Unsui.

"Good job." Unsui replied with a smile of his own which only lasted for a few moments before he spotted Ikkyu and Yamabushi out of the corner of his eye. He motioned them over as he turned to look at Hotaru, "Would you like Ikkyu-kun and Yamabushi-senpai to show you the techniques for their positions as well?"

"Y-Yes!" Hotaru said with a nod.

"What do you need, Unsui-kun?" Yamabushi asked.

"Taru-chan is curious about some of the different techniques used by the different positions!" Sanzo explained before walking off to talk to his friends, "Don't have too much fun with them!"

Hotaru frowned for a moment before turning to face Ikkyu and Yamabushi, "It is very nice to meet you, Ikkyu-san, Yamabushi-san."

"You can call me Yabushi-senpai." Yamabushi said with a broad smile and a slight blush on his face before taking Hotaru's hand and shaking it, "That is what everyone on the team calls me."

"You don't have to be so formal." Ikkyu replied as he avoided eye contact with Hotaru.

"I-I understand," Hotaru replied, "I-I'm trying to learn what all techniques the different positions use so I can understand the injuries that can be caused."

"We'll do our best to show you!" Yamabushi said, "I'll let Ikkyu-kun go first though." After Ikkyu and Yamabushi showed Hotaru the basic techniques for their positions, the practice break ended and the players broke off into separate groups. As the players practiced, Hotaru walked around and intensely watched the players. By the time practice was over, Hotaru's face was flushed but she had a large smile on her face.

"Remember that tomorrow is the official tournament lottery." Sendoda reminded as Hotaru grabbed her medical kit. "It will be good for you to attend since you seem to have an interest in learning more about the sport, and there will be a practice match against Kyoshin afterwards."

"I'll be happy to attend Sendoda-sensei." Hotaru replied before pulling her cell phone out of her kit, "Aimi-sensei provided me the information for the tournament lottery already."

"Do you need someone to walk you home?" Yamabushi asked.

"N-no." Hotaru replied, "Haruka-papa said she would come and pick me up. I just need to call her."

"Ah…okay." Yamabushi said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Thank you for offering." Hotaru said with a smile, "You are very kind Yamabushi-senpai." Yamabushi smiled before nodding at Hotaru and heading to the locker room. Several players waved to her as she made her way to the stairs that led to the school. _They really are kind. I can't wait to see them in a game, I bet they are amazing. _Hotaru thought as she waved back. _Maybe I should see if I can find any videos online of them playing. _

By the time Hotaru reached the bottom of the stairs she was gasping for air. She decided to sit down on the bottom stair and took several deep breaths before pulling out her cell phone and texting Haruka to let her know that practice had ended. "At least there is time to do some homework before dinner." Hotaru mused after she sent her text and she began to go through the texts she had received during practice. Suzuna and Chibiusa had both sent her several texts asking how practice had gone.

"Are you walking home or waiting for a ride?" Hotaru heard a male voice ask. Turning she saw Unsui who had changed out of his practice clothes in to the Shinryuji uniform.

"H-Haruka-papa is supposed to come and pick me up." Hotaru replied.

"I'll wait with you." Unsui said sitting down beside her. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"N-Not at all!" Hotaru stammered out.

"Why do you want to become a nurse?" Unsui asked.

"I want to help people." Hotaru said as she stared down at the ground for a moment before looking at Unsui, "Nurses are there to support the patient, and they are so important to the patient and the hospital. I-I feel that doctors are too detached from the patients. I want to encourage patients and give them hope."

Unsui response was a simple smile and nod before he spoke, "I hope that you will take pride in supporting our team. I can honestly say that the team already enjoys having you around."

"I will." Hotaru replied as Haruka pulled up in her Ferrari, "Ah. I have to go, I will see you tomorrow, Unsui-san."

"See you tomorrow, Tomoe-san." Unsui replied as he watched her enter the dark blue sports car. He waited until the Ferrari was out of site before gathering his bag and beginning his own walk home.

"Who was that waiting with you?" Haruka asked as the two of them pulled into the driveway of the house Haruka and Michiru had bought.

"Unsui-san." Hotaru answered, "He's the quarterback for the team."

"Tch. Looks like a baldie." Haruka snorted as they entered the house, "We're home!"

"Welcome home." Two voices replied from the kitchen.

"Setsuna-mama!" Hotaru exclaimed as she dashed into the kitchen to see her second "mother".

"Hello, hime-chan." Setsuna said as she pulled Hotaru into a hug, "Michiru was telling me about what you volunteered for. I hope that you enjoy it."

"Are there any cute boys on the team?" Michiru asked as she sat at a kitchenette with a glass of tea.

"Michiru!" Haruka exclaimed as Hotaru's face turned a bright red.

"I will let you know." Setsuna said with a wink towards Michiru, "I will get to meet some of them tomorrow since I was asked to prepare looks for some of the football players participating in the tournament to wear at the photo shoot tomorrow."

"Be sure you do." Michiru said with a smile at Haruka, "I hope Hotaru has a great of a high school experience as we did." Haruka replied with an eye roll before throwing her hands up in the air and heading towards the living room.

"So how was your first practice with the team?" Michiru asked.

"It was a lot of fun." Hotaru replied with a smile, "Unsui-san showed me how to properly throw a pass and everyone was so kind to me."

"That is good." Setsuna said, "But we can wait for you to tell us all about it during dinner, why don't you go and make sure Haruka isn't pouting too much." Hotaru nodded before going into the living room and playing a game with Haruka to help her father feel better. After a couple of hours, Hotaru leaned her head against Haruka's shoulder and fell asleep.

_My precious hime-chan._ Haruka thought as she laughed and settling into a comfortable position. _I hope that if one of those football freaks earns your affection he will treat you just like you deserve. _

-End Chapter-

Authors note: This chapter actually wound up about 500 words longer than intended. It just kept getting longer and longer as I wrote it. XD My goal is for all chapters (aside from the first chapter) in this fanfiction to be at least 1500 words or more.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who has read this story. I really appreciate all of my readers and I sincerely hope that all of you are enjoying the story so far. I am sorry that this chapter took a bit longer to post. I just started summer classes so more of my time is being dedicated to studying rather than writing.

Chapter 4: A Glimpse of Evil

Hotaru was pulling clothes out of a large suitcase as Setsuna arranged several clothes on hangers onto various racks. Eight separate racks had been set up, one for each team participating in the tournament. Every team had chosen between two to four players to be photographed for a special edition of a football magazine.

"Hm. Yamabushi from Shinryuji is rather large isn't he?" Setsuna asked as she arranged the clothes on the Shinryuji rack.

"Ah. Yes." Hotaru replied as she handed some folded pants to Setsuna.

"How were the twins?" Setsuna asked with a slight smile.

"Agon-san wasn't at practice very long." Hotaru explained, "But Unsui-san was very kind, he showed me how to throw a football pass."

"Enjoy this time." Setsuna said as she cupped Hotaru's face in her hand, "It has been a long time since we have had to fight an enemy, and we want you and Small Lady to have something that none of us had."

"I understand, Setsuna-mama." Hotaru replied as she nodded. _I wish you had been able to have a normal life as well. _

"The lottery should be starting soon. Why don't you go and watch it? I can finish this up on my own." Setsuna said as she finished hanging the last of the pants.

"Thank you." Hotaru said with a smile, "Setsuna-chan is supposed to be here as well."

"Take your time getting back. By the time the lottery is over my assistants should be here so you don't have to worry." Setsuna reminded as Hotaru dashed out of the mock dressing room that had been made. Hotaru only nodded in response before making her way down the hallway to the large room where the lottery was taking place.

"Ah. I'm late." Hotaru said as she saw that three teams had already drawn their lot and Ojou was currently drawing their lot. She frowned as she looked around the room and tried to find Suzuna or anyone else she recognized. _There is Kobayakawa-san _Hotaru thought as she spotted Sena talking to a young man dressed in a suit. _He probably knows where Suzuna-chan is. _As Hotaru made her way through the crowd towards Sena over half of the people in the room went silent as their eyes went towards the entrance.

"Representing Kanagawa, the Shinryuji Naga!" The officiant announced as the Shinryuji team approached the lottery box. Hotaru paused only a few feet away from Sena to watch as Yamabushi drew the lot for Shinryuji. However, almost as soon as Yamabushi pulled out the football shaped lot, Hotaru noticed that Agon snagged it from his hand and threw it. She froze as she saw Sena dodge the tossed lot and it collided with the bottled soda that the person standing behind him was holding.

"Are you okay, Kobayakawa-san?" Hotaru asked with worry clear on her face as she closed the distance between her and Sena.

"Y-yeah I'm okay." Sena replied with a shaking voice.

"What was that noise just now?" The chairman of the high school football league demanded as he approached the crowd, "What happened?"

"Yamabushi-senpai was picking the lot when it suddenly exploded, right senpai?" Agon lied as he took off his glasses.

"From now on, be careful." The chairman warned before walking away.

"It looks like the first match-up of the tournament is the Deimon Devilbats versus the Shinryuji Naga!" The announcer said as Yamabushi confirmed the number that had been on Shinryuji's lot.

"Hey Ikkyu, versus Deimon, I'll be playing from the very beginning." Agon stated plainly as he put his sunglasses back on.

"Really?" Ikkyu said excitedly, "Wow! This will be our first full roster game in a long time! I wonder how many hundred points our lead will be! I'm completely looking forward to it!"

"Taru-chan!" Sanzo suddenly shouted as he dashed into the crowd and pulled Hotaru away from Sena and towards the Shinryuji team members.

"Good morning." Hotaru greeted with a slight smile.

"Good morning!" Several members of the team replied.

"Good morning, Hotaru-chan." Agon said with a smile as he draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Ah. Good morning, Kongo-san." Hotaru said as she tried to pull away from Agon.

"What's with the formality, Hotaru-chan?" Agon asked as he gripped her shoulder, "If you call me Kongo-san, you're gonna get me and Unko-chan all confused."

"You shouldn't call Unsui-san that." Hotaru said.

"Eh?" Agon replied as he looked from Hotaru to Unsui, "Why can you call Unko-chan by his name and not me?"

"Please let me go." Hotaru demanded as she placed a hand against Agon's chest and tried to push him away.

"Not until you say my name." Agon replied as he smirked down at Hotaru.

"Agon, stop it." Unsui said as he placed a hand on Agon's shoulder.

"Please Agon-san!" Hotaru demanded.

"See, now that wasn't too hard now was it?" Agon asked as he let go of Hotaru. For a split second, Unsui allowed worry to cross his face as Hotaru stumbled forward. "Can't wait to see you cheer for us while we crush Deimon. Make sure that you wear something cute on game day." Agon said before walking away. Hotaru shuddered as she narrowed her eyes at Agon's back.

"Tomoe-san! Aren't you excited? We're going to win the first game so easily!" Ikkyu said suddenly.

"Y-yes." Hotaru said with a tight lipped smile before turning her attention to the announcer on the stage.

"Well this is exciting folks! All of the match-ups for the first round of the Kanto tournament have been decided!" The announcer began, "In the A Block we have the Hokkaido Wolves who make their way across the land with their fangs, claws and speed versus the invincible quick shooting, shotgun wielding, Seibu Wild Gunmen! The second match-up in this block is the SIC Area newcomers, the unconventional carnivores, the Hakushyu Dinosuars versus the super heavyweight team from Kantou-No, Taiyou Sphinx!" The announcer paused for breath before beginning again, "And now for the B block! The destructive, unpredictable Deimon Devilbats versus the undefeated gods looking for their tenth consecutive trophy, Shinryuji Naga! And then we have the completely renewed castle wall, the Ojou White Knights versus the charging runners from Shizuoka, the Sado Strong Golems!"

"It's that a rather complicated explanation of the tournament match-ups?" Hotaru wondered out loud as she frowned.

"They do it to get the players pumped." Unsui explained.

"It reminds me a lot of Seiya-nii." Hotaru said with a smile.

"You have a large family don't you, Tomoe-san?" Yamabushi asked.

"I do." Hotaru acknowledged as she smiled, "Ever since I met Chibiusa-chan and Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, and Setsuna-mama adopted me my family grew very large." Unsui felt an almost unnoticeable blush grow on his cheeks, and he coughed into his fist in an attempt to hide the blush.

"You look really cute when you smile like that, Hotaru-chan." Agon pointed out while giving Unsui a knowing look out of the corner of his eye.

"Ah. Speaking of Setsuna-mama, I said I would help her with the photo shoot." Hotaru explained before dashing off.

~two hours later~

Hotaru stopped for a moment to pull her hair into a short ponytail while making her way down the path that led to the waterfall on Shinryuji's campus. "I wonder what they do here." Hotaru said out loud as she continued down the path. When she reached the waterfall she felt a blush cover her entire face as soon as she realized that the entire team was dressed in nothing more than fundoshi. "Oh my gosh." Hotaru gasped as she covered her eyes and took several deep breathes. She waited until she felt her blush fade to uncover her eyes and make her way towards Sendoda.

"Good morning, sensei." Hotaru greeted as she tried to avoid looking at the team members as she stood at the edge of the water.

"Good morning." Sendoda responded, "You are dressed much more appropriately for practice today."

"A-ah. Yes." Hotaru acknowledged as she looked down at the ground.

"Why don't you just sit and rest?" Sendoda suggested, "Your parents said that you do not have the best health, so you need to take care of yourself if you plan on supporting the team."

"Y-yes sir!" Hotaru replied before sitting down on the ground, "If you don't mind me asking, why are the players doing this?"

"It helps to unify the mind and the body." Sendoda explained, "Those two things must be combined for them to be able to perform at their best."

"I can't wait to see them play." Hotaru mused out loud before spotting Unsui out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head slightly so she could look at him as he meditated under the flow of the waterfall. She breathed in deeply as she listened to the sound of the waterfall. _It is so peaceful here. _Hotaru thought as she let the sound and smell of the waterfall take over her thoughts.

"Do you enjoy meditating, Tomoe-san?" Unsui suddenly asked causing Hotaru to lose her concentration.

"Y-yes." Hotaru replied as she smiled up at Unsui who now had a towel draped over his shoulders. _Keep your eyes on his face._

"Everyone else has already headed to the changing room to get ready for the game." Unsui pointed out causing Hotaru to blink and look around the waterfall area to realize that only Sendoda and Unsui were there with her.

"Oh my gosh!" Hotaru exclaimed as she stood up, "I am so sorry! The sound of the waterfall was so peaceful and relaxing."

"It's fine." Unsui replied with a knowing look, "You should hurry up and get to the practice field. There is a chance that someone could get hurt during practice today and we will need your skills."

"I understand." Hotaru said with a nod. As she started to head towards the path that led to the school, Hotaru turned to Unsui and said, "I am excited to get to see everyone play today." Unsui blinked at Hotaru's words as her face turned red and she turned around and ran down the path. _I can't believe I looked "there". _Hotaru thought as she ran down the path. When she reached the end of the path, she slapped both of her hands against her face. _I need to focus.__  
_

~End Chapter~


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Motivation

"Here you go." Hotaru said as she passed around bottles of water to the Shinryuji players. The third quarter of the practice game with Kyoshin had just finished, and a quick break had been called by the coaches to let the players rest for a bit until the fourth quarter began.

"Thanks." Ikkyu replied before taking one of the bottles, "What do you think of the game?"

"It is amazing; I cannot believe how far ahead you are." Hotaru said with a bright smile as she handed a bottle of water to Yamabushi. "Unsui-san really is a great quarterback."

"He's nothing compared to Agon-senpai." Ikkyu pointed out, "Ah. Speaking of Agon-senpai, he's finally here."

Hotaru tensed at Ikkyu's words as Unsui began to shout at Agon. "What do you think you're doing?" Unsui demanded as Agon set his bag on the bench, "Get out your protective gear!"

"I don't need to wear it against this trash team." Agon said arrogantly as he walked onto the field, "I'll be okay in my dougi."

"Ha! I get what you mean!" Mizumachi from Kyoshin said before he began removing his protective gear, leaving him only in his underwear and cleats, "I don't need my gear either! It's heavy and it slows me down!"

Hotaru froze as a feeling of dread washed over her while Mizumachi charged at Agon. Agon easily knocked his arms to the side before grabbing Mizumachi's arm and twisting it behind the tall lineman. "Stop!" She and Unsui shouted as Agon dislocated Mizumachi's shoulder and he screamed out in pain. Hotaru ran to the bench and grabbed her medical kit before dashing onto the field.

"Ah…shut up, you're too loud." Agon said as he adjusted his sunglasses, "I didn't break it; I just forced it out of its socket." A frown crossed his face as Hotaru ran past him before setting her medical kit on the ground and helped Kakei from Kyoshin move Mizumachi into a sitting position.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing, Taru-chan?" Agon asked as he grabbed her shoulder, "You're here for our team."

"I am tending to him!" Hotaru snapped as she turned around and glared at Agon.

"Tch. Fucking trash." Agon said before he pushed Hotaru to the ground and walked away towards the bench.

"Are you okay?" Unsui asked as he joined the crowd of Kyoshin players that had surrounded Mizumachi.

"I am fine." Hotaru replied before sitting up and shaking her head. She smiled at Mizumachi as she pulled an ice pack and an arm sling out of the kit, "I need some help getting your arm back into its socket. I need you to keep calm and just take slow breaths."

"Okay." Mizumachi said as he gritted his teeth.

"Would you please brace against his left side?" Hotaru asked as she pointed at Kakei before moving closer to Mizumachi, "Unsui-san, could you help me get his arm into the proper position?" Both young men nodded as Kakei braced Mizumachi and Unsui helped Hotaru straighten Mizumachi's arm. "On the count of three I am going to push it back in." Hotaru instructed, "Please try to stay relaxed."

"Okay." Mizumachi replied.

"Ready? One…two!" Hotaru said as she used all of her strength to push his shoulder joint back into the socket.

"AH!" Mizumashi shouted out before staring at his arm, "You said you would push it in at three!"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't want to risk you tensing up." Hotaru replied as she cracked the chemical packet inside of an instant icepack before slipping it into a cloth sleeve.

"Thank you." Kakei said while Hotaru slipped the arm sling over Mizumachi's left shoulder and fitted his right arm through it.

"You need to keep your shoulder iced and go to see a sports medicine specialist as soon as possible." Hotaru instructed.

"Thanks." Mizumachi said with a wide smile as Kakei helped him onto his feet.

"The rest of us can finish the match." Kakei said.

"Okay." Unsui said before turning to Hotaru, "Would you keep an eye on him until the end of the game?"

"Yes." Hotaru replied with a slight smile as she walked with Mizumachi to the benches that had been set up for the Kyoshin players.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Mizumachi asked as he pointed to his arm.

"Ah. T-two of my friends are doctors." Hotaru explained as she fidgeted with her hands. "W-would you like me to get you some clothes?"

"Nah! I'm fine like this!" Mizumachi replied as he stretched his good arm over his head.

"O-okay." Hotaru said as she turned her focus to the game and tried to prevent a blush from rising to her cheeks due to Mizumachi remaining in nothing more than his boxers.

"You were really cool though when you popped my arm back in though." Mizumachi continued, "They're lucky to have someone like you helping their team out."

"T-thank you." Hotaru replied with a slight smile.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Mizumachi suddenly asked causing Hotaru's eyes to widen.

"N-no!" Hotaru exclaimed in response.

"Okay!" Mizumachi replied with a wide smile, "As thanks for fixing my arm, I'll help you get a boyfriend! So what's your type Nurse-chan?"

"A-ah." Hotaru stammered as she stared at Unsui out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh…so you like the serious type." Mizumachi said with a mischievous glint in his eyes as he followed Hotaru's gaze, "There are some players in Tokyo I could introduce you to, or do you prefer Unsui-san?"

"I-I don't know." Hotaru admitted as she bit her lower lip, "I-I haven't known him long enough."

"But he is your type right?" Mizumachi asked.

"Y-you could say that." Hotaru replied.

"Well that settles it, Nurse-chan!" Mizumachi said, "I'll help you get Unsui to go on a date with you!"

"Y-you're strange." Hotaru said with a laugh as the two of them re-focused on the game. The game ended twenty minutes later with Shinryuji leading 48 points to 0 points.

"Good game!" Mizumachi cheered before standing up and shaking Hotaru's hand, "Thank you again, nurse-chan!"

"Welcome." Hotaru replied with a smile as she grabbed her medical kit, "Remember to go see a doctor."

After the players shook hands, Hotaru made her way back to the Shinryuji bench where Ikkyu ran up to her. "That was oni cool how you popped his arm back in, Hotaru-senpai!" Ikkyu said excitedly.

"It really was impressive." Sanzo said, "Although you did seem to be getting a little friendly with Mizumachi-kun."

"H-he was just asking how he could repay me." Hotaru insisted as she tried to hide her blush.

"Ohhoho. That's not what it seemed like." Sanzo teased as he laughed behind his hand.

"Stop bothering her." Unsui said simply as he pulled off his jersey and shoulder pads, "We should be glad that she was paying attention to someone who was injured. It shows how she will be if any of us get hurt." A small smile appeared on Hotaru's face as Unsui turned his head to nod at her. "Right?"

"Y-yes!" Hotaru replied as her smile widened. She bent down and grabbed her purse before pointing towards the gym, "The team is doing weight training after a break right?"

"Yes." Unsui replied, "You can go to the weight room if you want to, we all need to change into our weight lifting clothes."

"Okay." Hotaru said as she slung her purse over her shoulder and made her way to the weight room. As soon as she entered the large room she found a bench to sit on before digging through her purse to grab her cell phone. She frowned as she saw that she had missed called from Makoto and Minako. _I wonder what Mako-nee and Mina-nee need._ She thought as her phone began ringing again.

"Hello?" Hotaru greeted without looking at the caller id.

"Hotaru-chan! We need a favor!" Minako responded loudly.

"What is it, Mina-nee?" Hotaru asked as her frown deepened.

"Would you mind watching Miyu and Chikako tonight for me and Mako-chan?" Minako asked, "It won't be for too long! I got invited to a party about my new album and my manager asked Mako-chan to prepare the food last minute!"

"I don't mind." Hotaru replied, "But I won't get out of Shinryuji's practice for another hour."

"That's okay! We'll drop them off in front of Shinryuji in an hour! The girls will be so excited to see their favorite nee-chan!" Minako said happily, "See you soon Hotaru-chan!"

"See you in a bit, Mina-nee." Hotaru said before ending the call. She shook her head and smiled as she thought about Minako's daughter Miyu and Makoto's daughter Chikako. _I haven't watched them in forever. _

"T-Tomoe-san!" Ikkyu said suddenly pulling Hotaru out of her thoughts.

"Y-yes?" Hotaru said as her eyebrows furrowed.

"I-is this you?" Ikkyu asked as he pulled a fashion magazine from behind his back and opened it to a photo spread in the middle. Hotaru blinked as she recognized the images from one of Minako's photo-shoots. Most of the images on the two pages were of Minako, but one showed Minako putting lipstick on Hotaru.

"Oh. That's the picture Makoto-nee took at that party." Hotaru said as she remembered the last time that the senshi had gotten together.

"You know Minako Aino?!" Ikkyu said excitedly as his eyes widened, "That is oni cool!"

"I can introduce you to her after practice, if you want." Hotaru offered, "I am watching her daughter tonight for her.' _Minako-nee loves meeting her fans. _She giggled as Ikkyu's eyes widened and his face turned bright red.

"You are amazing, Tomoe-san!" Ikkyu exclaimed as he dropped the magazine and grabbed Hotaru's hands and shaking them. His wide smile remained as he went to join the lines that had started to form in the gym. Hotaru giggled as she picked up the magazine and flipped through it as the team began its weight training.

~End Chapter~

Author's note: Thank you to all of my readers and a special thank you to those who are following, have favorited this story, and those who left reviews. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: In this chapter I am going to introducing a couple OCs that are the children of Minako and Makoto. I will probably be introducing my OC children for the other inners in later chapters.

Chapter 6: Old friends

"Tomoe-san, can I go over the plans for the practices this week?" Unsui asked as Hotaru gathered up her medical kit and purse. The two of them were the only ones left in the weight room since everyone else had already gone to shower and change.

"Now?" Hotaru asked as she checked the time with her watch.

"Is there somewhere you need to be?" Unsui asked.

"A-ah. A couple of my friends asked if I could babysit for them tonight." Hotaru explained.

"Would it be possible for me to walk you home then?" Unsui asked, "We can go over the practice plans on the way."

"S-sure!" Hotaru replied with a slight blush.

"I'll meet you at the base of the stairs. I still need to shower and change into my dougi." Unsui said before heading to the changing room.

"Y-yes." Hotaru whispered as she watched his retreating back. In less than fifteen minutes, Unsui and Ikkyu returned to the weight room now dressed in their dougi.

"Are you ready?" Unsui asked as he approached Hotaru and took her medical kit from her hands.

"Yes." Hotaru replied as she looked at Unsui in confusion, "I can carry my kit."

"I've got it." Unsui said with a slight smile, "We better get going right? Ikkyu-kun said you were going to introduce him to one of your friends."

"Ah! Yes!" Hotaru said with a smile.

"How do you know Minako, Tomoe-san?" Ikkyu asked as they began to make their way to the stairs.

"She's a friend of my best friend's mom." Hotaru explained, "She is also friends with my parents."

"Do you babysit for her often?" Ikkyu asked.

"Usually about once or twice a month." Hotaru said, "But it depends on what events are going on in our group. On the holidays we will all get together to celebrate, and this summer we're all planning on going to the beach together."

"That sounds fun." Unsui commented.

"It is." Hotaru admitted, "I'm lucky to have all of them in my life."

"Are you involved in any clubs at Juuban?" Unsui asked.

"I'm in the art club." Hotaru said, "But all of the clubs are giving members time to complete our community service." A smile spread across Hotaru's face as she spotted a pair of women standing at the base of the stairs talking while two girls jumped up and down a couple of the stairs.

"Onee-chan!" The girls shouted when they spotted Hotaru and rushed up the stairs to jump onto Hotaru's legs, knocking her off balance. However, Unsui reached out an arm and prevented Hotaru from falling by wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Are you okay?" Unsui whispered.

"Yes." Hotaru replied as a bright blush covered her face as the girls let go of her legs.

"Are you Onee-chan's boyfriend?" Miyu asked. She had blonde curly hair that reached just past her shoulders and large blue eyes. She was dressed in a light pink dress.

"He can't be!" Chikako exclaimed as she shook her head making her short brown hair fluffy, "Haruka-kun wouldn't let Onee-chan have a boyfriend!"

"He's a friend." Hotaru explained before a frown crossed her face as they walked down the last of the stairs and she looked at Chikako's hair, "What happened to your hair Chikako-chan?"

"She tried to cut it by herself." Makoto laughed before pulling Hotaru into a hug, "How have you been?"

"I've been good, Mako-nee." Hotaru replied as Makoto let go of her, only to be hugged by Minako.

"Got yourself a good situation here, huh?" Minako asked as she gave Hotaru a meaningful look before looking at Ikkyu and Unsui and then back to Hotaru.

"Mina-nee!" Hotaru exclaimed as she turned bright red, "I-It's not like that."

"Whatever you say, Hotaru-chan." Minako teased before squeezing Hotaru and then letting her go. Minako then walked over to Unsui and Ikkyu and looked them up and down before extending her hand to them. "I'm Aino Minako, I hope you've been taking care of our Hotaru-chan."

"W-we have!" Ikkyu replied as Unsui shook her hand allowing Ikkyu time to pull a CD out of his bag. "C-could you autograph this for me?"

"Sure!" Minako said with a smile as she took the CD and pulled a pen out of her purse, "What's your name sweetie?"

"Hosokawa Ikkyu!" Ikkyu exclaimed as his face became covered in a blush.

"Here you go, Ikkyu-kun." Minako said as she handed back the CD and patted Ikkyu's head as she turned to look at Unsui. "And your name is?"

"Kongo Unsui." Unsui answered plainly.

"Nice to meet you!" Minako replied with a smile, "We're gonna trust Hotaru-chan and our daughters to you! Be a good boy and make sure they get to Hotaru-chan's house safely!"

"I will." Unsui replied as he watched Hotaru talking to the two five year old girls.

"Good." Makoto said as she slapped him on his back, knocking Unsui forward slightly. "We gotta get going! Be good for onee-chan girls!"

"Bye okaa-san!" The girls said as they waved good bye to their moms as the two women walked away.

"Oka-san didn't hurt you, right nii-san?" Chikako asked as Unsui rolled his shoulder.

"no." Unsui replied before looking at Hotaru, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Hotaru said before offering a hand to Chikako and Miyu. The two girls and the young woma began walking down the sidewalk while Unsui said goodbye to Ikkyu.

"I wanna hold onii-san's hand as well." Miyu said with a pout once Unsui reached them.

"If you want." Unsui replied as he offered a hand to Miyu. The blonde girl's eyes widened before a large smile covered her face and she grabbed Unsui's hand with her free hand.

"Marching down the road, marching down the road, I'm marching down the road." Miyu sang as she swung Unsui and Hotaru's arms.

"Onee-chan! I am up to go-kyu!" Chikako said as she bounced alongside them.

"Really?" Hotaru said in a surprised voice, "didn't you just start judo six months ago?"

"yep!" Chikako said holding up a victory sign, "I'm gonna become a judo champion!"

"Good for you Chikako-chan!" Hotaru said with a smile.

"Yeah. But no guys like her. She's too strong." Miyu said while sticking her tongue out.

"Kyo-kun likes me!" Chikako shouted in response.

"Nuh-uh!" Miyu replied as she crossed her arms.

"Yes he does!"

"No boys like girls like you!"

"There are some who do!"

"Girls stop." Unsui said calmly as he knelt before both girls and stared them straight in the eye, "Boys like all types of girls."

"what kind of girl do you like onii-san?" Miyu asked.

"I don't have a specific type of girl I like, but I like girls who are kind." Unsui answered with a slight smile.

"Girls, we need to get going." Hotaru said as Unsui stood up, "Do you promise not to fight any more?"

"Yes onee-chan." Both girls said as they looked down at their feet in shame. However, instead of taking Hotaru or Unsui's hands again, they walked ahead with their heads bent down.

"Hmm..." Both girls said as they looked at each other.

"Do you think he likes onee-chan?" Miyu whispered to Chikako.

"He better." Miyu whispered back.

"We should ask oka-san to do some love magic on them." Miyu whispered.

"I don think that would work on onee-chan." Chikako said with a frown.

"I wonder what they're whispering about." Hotaru mused as she and Unsui waked behind them, "I'm sorry you had to break up their fight."

"It's fine. It is easier to break up a fight between little girls than linemen." Unsui said with a slight chuckle. He coughed to cover up his laugh before looking at Hotaru, "Besides, now that they're occupied, we can talk about the practice schedule this week."

"O-okay." Hotaru replied.

"Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday will be regular practice, but Wednesday we will be doing weight lifting." Unsui explained as Hotaru wrote the schedule down in a small notebook.

"What about Friday?" Hotaru asked.

"Friday we will be discussing strategy and analyzing the Deimon players." Unsui explained, "That day we will be meeting in front of the waterfall."

"Okay." Hotaru said, "What time do you want me to report to the stadium on Saturday?"

"Ten am." Unsui replied, "The team needs time to warm up properly."

"I'm sure you'll win." Hotaru said as she smiled at Unsui.

"We have a one percent chance of losing." Unsui said, his face serious.

"Why?" Hotaru asked as her eyebrows furrowed.

"Hiruma Yoichi and Kobayakawa Sena." Unsui explained, "Hiruma-san is clever, but Sena-san's ability to adjust in the middle of a game is dangerous."

"I am sure you'll win." Hotaru said.

"Michiru-sensei!" Miyu suddenly shouted as she spotted Michiru carrying some grocery bags opening the small gate in front of the outers home.

"Oh hello, Miyu-chan, Chikako-chan, what are you doing here?" Michiru asked with a smile.

"Mina-nee and Mako-nee asked me to babysit last minute." Hotaru explained.

"And this is?" Michiru asked as she looked at Unsui.

"Unsui-san is the quarterback for Shinryuji, he needed to tell me the practice schedule for this week so he offered to walk me home." Hotaru explained as Unsui handed Hotaru her medical kit.

"It's nice to finally meet one of the players from Shinryuji." Michiru said as she tilted her head slightly, "Thank you so much for walking hime-chan home, why don't you come in for some tea?"

"I would if I could, but I need to head home myself and pra-." Unsui began only to have his arm grabbed by Michiru.

"Nonsense. You can come in for a cup of tea right quick." Michiru insisted as she pulled Unsui through the gate and towards the house.

"Sorry." Hotaru whispered to Unsui after he had been dragged inside the house, "Michiru-mama can be very insistent."

"Welcome home, hime-chan." Setsuna greeted from the kitchen.

"I'm home, Setsuna-mama." Hotaru greeted in return after she and Unsui helped Miyu and Chikako take off their shoes. "Why don't you two go play in my room?" Hotaru suggested to them.

"Okay!" Both girls said before taking off to the second floor of the house.

"Hime-chan brought a friend home." Michiru teased as she entered the kitchen with the groceries. "I'll make some tea. Why don't you go greet your father?"

"Yes ma'am." Hotaru answered in a solemn voice as she hung her purse from a hook in the wall. Unsui looked at Hotaru's back in confusion, but followed after her fearing what would happen if the teal haired woman grabbed him again. His frown deepened as he followed her into a large music room with several instruments on stands, including a piano. He remained standing until Hotaru opened a cabinet revealing an altar. On the altar was a picture of a white haired man with blue eyes as well as two spirit tablets with the names "Tomoe Soichi" and "Tomoe Keiko".

"Hello otou-san and okaa-san." Hotaru said as she kneeled before the altar and lit incense. She then closed her eyes and began a silent prayer as Unsui knelt next to her and offered his own prayer to Buddha.

"Otou-san and Okaa-san died in a laboratory accidents about six years apart." Hotaru said answering Unsui's unspoken question. "After Otou-san died Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, and Setsuna-mama took me in."

Unsui wordless nodded as he stood up and then offered Hotaru a hand. "I hope that you will not leave due to Agon's actions." Unsui whispered, "He didn't hurt you, right?"

"No." Hotaru said as she shook her head, "I'm fine."

"I'll prevent him from doing that in the future." Unsui said.

"Thank you." Hotaru replied as she blushed. "We better go to the kitchen before Michiru-mama and Setsuna-mama come and drag you out of here."

"I hope you don't mind black tea." Michiru said as the two of them entered the kitchen and sat at the large dining room table. Miyu and Chikako had come back down from Hotaru's room and were eating crackers and drinking glasses of milk.

"It's fine." Unsui said seriously as Michiru set a teacup in front of him.

"This is Kongo Unsui-san." Hotaru said as she dropped a sugar cube into her tea, "He's the quarterback for Shinryuji. Unsui-san, these are my Michiru-mama and Setsuna-mama."

"I believe I met your brother Agon at the lottery ceremony, right?" Setsuna asked as Unsui took a sip of the tea. "I was in charge of the clothing for the photoshoot after the lottery. Do you like playing football, Unsui-kun?"

"Yes." Unsui replied.

"We are going to entrust our precious hime-chan to you." Michiru said as she rested her chin on one of her hands.

"Thank you." Unsui said before finishing his tea, "She has already proven to be a valuable part of the team. We appreciate her support."

"Well then we look forward to seeing you play this weekend." Michiru said as she clapped her hands together. "Be sure to say hi to your mother for me."

"H-huh?" Hotaru stammered in surprise as she looked from Unsui to Michiru.

"I live a few houses down the street." Unsui explained as he stood up.

"Eh?" Hotaru exclaimed as her eyes widened in confusion.

"Thank you for the tea." Unsui said, "See you tomorrow Hotaru-san."

"S-see you tomorrow." Hotaru replied as she blinked, letting the information she just learned sink into her head. However, as soon as she heard the door shut behind Unsui, she turned and looked at Michiru. "You know Unsui-san?"

"I know his mother, she tells me about all of the good sales." Michiru explained, "She once showed me pictures of Unsui-kun and Agon-kun. Although I must say I am glad that you are getting closer to Unsui-kun. Haruka would have a stroke if she saw you with Agon-kun."

"Let's go play in my room." Hotaru said to Miyu and Chikako as her face turned bright red and she rushed to her feet. The two girls happily rushed back up to Hotaru's room with Hotaru following quickly after.

"You're horrible, Michiru." Setsuna said with a slight laugh, "You only dragged that poor boy in her because you think it would be cute to embarrass him."

"Oh well." Michiru said with a laugh. "Hime-chan needs a little help with her love life."

/

"Do you like onii-san?" Miyu asked as Hotaru helped her into a pink ballerina outfit while Chikako adjusted the belt on her gi.

"I do." Hotaru admitted before placing a her pointer finger over her lips, "But you have to help me keep it a secret." She giggled as Chikako began to bounce enthusiastically and Miyu gasped in excitement.

"Does he know?" Miyu demanded.

"No, I haven't told him yet." Hotaru said as she 'bonked' Miyu on the nose, "I don't have the confidence to tell him."

"But you need to, onee-chan!" Chikako said.

"If I tell him, I will let you know." Hotaru replied before standing up and smiling down at the girls, "You better protect Miyu-hime, Chikako-chan, or I'll tickle you both." Hotaru began to chase them around the room as the two girls squealed in excitement. An hour later, Michiru came up to check on them, only to find all three asleep on Hotaru's bed with both girls wrapped in Hotaru's arms as she held them closely. Shaking her head, Michiru grabbed a blanket from the end of Hotaru's bed and draped it over them.

~End Chapter~

Author's note: I am still wondering why the inspiration for this chapter came while I was studying for my TExES exam. So yeah...this chapter was written during my study breaks these past few days.


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